The tides were turning, and Khalifa had to pick a side. Even if it wasn't a side he wasn't proud of. The sounds of battle ran out, blotting out every other thought from his head. They were at it again, the Enforcers. He had no idea why they couldn't just quiet down, turning the town centre into a brawling fest. "Would it kill them to give it a rest once in a while?" Khalifa complained, closing his ears with pillows. It didn't do anything anyway. "Those ragamuffins, up at the crack of dawn and making problems for us, the simple folks. Can't even say I'm happy with how things are going; we'd be cast out before long," A balding middle-aged man named Chris spoke, and there were collective sighs in the bar. "You just learnt a new word?" Ahmed, a regular at the bar, poked fun at Chris, and the entire occupants of the bar chortled, laughter ringing out in quick succession."Hey, wait, you want a piece of me? Young boys like you should know their place, what with the laws nowadays. Back
There were different kinds of people in the world, and Khalifa was an observer. That was his job, and he never interfered. The first time he noticed his ability, he was younger than most. He saw that the world was changing. The scale was tipping to a dangerous side. Magic reigned predominantly, and people with little to no mana like him were relegated to living in the lower strata of the city. But things were going on behind the scenes that could make a person's skin crawl. First, there were bio-weapons made specifically immune to magic, and they were sold on the black market. And mana-enhanced weapons somehow made their way to the underbelly of the city. The country knew of the happenings in Selene, but they couldn't do anything about it because the City of Selene was a superpower on its own. It was the home of some powerful, shady characters. They had money to throw at problems, and some threw around platinum like it was nothing. Others were reserved for special occasions. The wor
I've always wanted to fall," Dante remembered the words of someone he once knew, someone lost to the whims of time. Their conversation resounded in his head, and his eyes kept staring at nothingness, fingers clenched but holding onto nothing."Hey. You look a little lost," Crystal said, sitting beside him. It was the first light of dawn, and Dante had been living in the pocket world for a month. At first, he worried about Alan and the others he didn't know, the people he couldn't reach. But then, he decided to become stronger to ensure that he never had to feel so useless anymore."How'd you notice?" Dante asked without turning around. Strangely, he was beginning to miss home. If that death trap could be called a home. Or maybe he just missed Selene; he couldn't tell. There were so many maybes it was hard to pinpoint what he was truly feeling. But, there was a lethargy consuming his body and mind. It was eroding his sense of self. He'd been in the pocket world, and still no changes.
The hologram's recreation of the members of the Renegades was spot on; Dante could almost reach out and touch them if he dared, which he did. But, his hands casually passed through, as usual. "Can you understand the words I'm saying?" He asked, waving a hand over the face of the hologram. [YES, WOULD YOU LIKE A DEMONSTRATION OF MY UNDERSTANDING ABILITIES?] Well, it has reverted to its old ways. "S, speak to me normally, and no, I don't want a demonstration of your abilities. It was a rhetorical question; you know what those are, right?" Dante was becoming a tad frustrated. "Okay, instructions received," S spoke, and even though it wasn't exactly what Dante was expecting, it was still better than earlier. "Stop playing with yourself and help us get ready for the day," the cheeky voice of Gilgamesh spoke from the mouth of the cave, and Dante almost jerked in fear. "Don't do that, man. You scared me." It was evident in the way his heart raced. "I know; I have to keep you
"S, it's time." And the hologram flared to life in the form of Gilgamesh, maintaining the same stance. "What do you have for me?" Dante asked the hologram under his breath while pretending to catch his breath as Gilgamesh watched him, emotionless in his expression. "Fighting pattern analysed. Scanning database. Capoeira." Dante didn't know much about it, but he knew it was a fighting pattern used by dancers. Pathetic. "Okay, I'm coming for you now," Dante ran towards Gilgamesh, and when Gilgamesh evaded, Dante made a feint, sending Gilgamesh the wrong way. Dante struck with the full force of his elbow, the battle song within him chanting in his ears. All that mattered was winning, nothing else. Dante saw himself staring at the cave ceiling and ultimately crashing to the floor. "What was that?" He asked no one in particular, and Gilgamesh stood over him, a disapproving look on his face. "You aren't ready. Your rage blinds you, and you let assumptions define your existen
Dante had never been scared of the rain, but this time… something was very wrong. The wind still felt normal, but it was slowly picking up speed, blinding him from the rest of The Renegades. "What to do?" He said to himself, already realising the sort of pickle he was in. The wind turned into a typhoon out of nowhere, its form irregular and humanoid for some reason. What's wrong with everything here? Dante couldn't tell. The pocket world didn't mirror the real world; it was trying to eat him alive and make a grand show. "I'd be damned if I die to something like this," Dante raged at the typhoon, his will ironclad. "S, are you there?" He asked, flexing his arms. "Yes. What can I help you with?" The hologram's voice came almost immediately, but it had a hint of… sassiness. Could the holograms truly become sentient? "No time for that now," Dante screamed and slapped himself to get his bearings. It stung, but it did the trick and helped him focus. "Is there a way to surv
Dante tuned it out, and as the dome over him fell off, his palm touched Crystal's, and she yanked him inside the cave. Darkus and Gilgamesh rolled a giant boulder over it, sealing them in. "What was that? Do you have a death wish?" Crystal's eyes looked panicked and as she hit his chest with her fist, he noticed that her body was shaking uncontrollably. "I'm sorry. I didn't know…" Dante trailed off because his excuse sounded bogus even to his ears. He didn't plan to make a big deal out of it, but he didn't expect such a thing to happen. His life flashed before his eyes on various occasions, and it felt… exhilarating. What are you, a battle junkie? "You survived. That counts for something," Cincinnati said and walked past him, returning to the rock where she was seated earlier. Darkus nodded at Dante just once and didn't look at him again. It felt like being acknowledged by a higher power. Before, Darkus didn't even show regard for Dante's existence, and now… he got a nod of
The threat of a civil war was enough to get everybody on the run, and the news of the factions being formed did nothing to assuage the growing feeling of unease circling through the country. But some people were looking forward to the mayhem and madness."The meeting will begin," Alistair said, his voice lulling the members of The Order into silence."Now, tell us what the king asked of you, Fred," Alistair called a random name, and a young man walked in, along with a Direhuman who seemed to be his companion."What's this? Are we fraternising with those below us now? Is this the level we've fallen to?" A smallish man with an abnormally long beard spoke up, his eyes sizing up the new faces. "Hold your peace, and wait for him to finish," Alistair chided, his eyes brokering no room for argument. He was a scary man whenever he wanted to be."Hmph," the smallish man said at last and sat down without a word, still fuming. He was casting death glares at Fred and his attendant. "Now, tell